


For Reasons Unknown

by Moylis



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: OOC, Post-Canon, apathetic uncool damien, i have no idea what im doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26180146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moylis/pseuds/Moylis
Summary: It`s been about five years since Damien left. He got a job, while Mark has been traveling with different bands as a photographer and visited his sister from time to time. So everything just goes on it`s own, until Mark meets Damien again.
Relationships: Mark Bryant & Damien, Mark Bryant/Damien
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a song by The Killers, just because why not 
> 
> also English isn`t my first language, so please feel free to correct me, I`m willing to learn!

Mark lazily examined the audience in another shitty bar, looking for something interesting to photograph. The band he was working this time with just gave their last concert, so now all Mark had to do is to choose the best pictures and edit them. After that… well, he didn't plan things that far.   
He could always come back to Joanie, of course… But he kinda liked things as they were right now. He genuinely enjoyed seeing new cities, new people, the taste of freedom.  
But at this moment he was just tired. He had some weird headache this evening. Mark sighed and pointed his camera lens onto the bar. Still nothing exciting, but at least the barista was pretty. Or rather his back. Okay, his ass was nice.   
The barista turned around, filling another drink. Mark decided he was cute. His face looked slightly familiar... oh.

_ Oh _ .

Fuck. 

No. This wasn`t happening. Absolutely  _ no way _ .

Mark knew his life was screwed up, but this was on a completely different level.

As if responding to his thoughts, Damien turned his head and looked right into Mark`s eyes. Well, into the camera lens. Mark couldn`t read Damien`s expression, he wasn`t even sure there was any. Damien stared at him for a few seconds, then went back to refill a customer drinks, and Mark could start breathing again.  
It was him, it was definitely Damien, Mark couldn`t be mistaken. The same unbothered attitude, same careless look, same dark hair... He looked older now. More mature.   
Before Mark knew what he was doing, he went to the bar.

“Hey, I…”  
A glass of scotch, the one Joanie liked, heavily got down right in front of him.   
“How did you…yeah, right, I don't...I don't actually drink anymore.”  
Damien silently took the glass back and poured another one with soda.  
“Thanks,” Mark took the glass. He was… confused. He shouldn't be talking to him, should he?  
“So, uh, how's it going?” Bryant tried. He knew this was ridiculous, but there was no way back.  
“What are you doing here.”  
Mark flinched at the sound of his voice. Did it sound cracked? God, it`s been so long.   
“I`m with the band. Well, as a photographer.”  
Damien still wouldn`t look at him. Mark had no idea what was he doing of what he was excepting, words just came out of his mouth while his brain was going crazy.   
“Did you… did you get your powers back?”  
“Can't you tell?” Heavy glance, finally. Mark relaxed a bit: at least Damien still was worried about his ability.  
“I'm not sure.”  
“So you think I would pour sixteen years old teenagers tequila if I had a choice?”  
Mark almost smiled. Sarcasm was familiar territory. Mark clumsily shrugged. He _ did _ feel Damien`s mind, it`s presence pressing over Mark`s own thoughts, but not affecting them.  
“It's…there, somewhere. Sometimes I can make a drunk leave, or make people think I already gave them a change, or... it's not... the same."  
Damien sounded…helpless. Tired.  
“I like your haircut” Mark blurted out, deciding to change the subject.  
Damien`s hair was much longer now, so he tied them back. Mark also noticed a piercing in his ear.  
“When are you leaving?”  
“What, you aren`t happy to see me?"  
"Are you?"  
Mark did not have a response to that.

Damien watched him, waiting for an answer, but when it didn`t come, he continued cleaning glasses. Few curls framed his face when he tilted his head.  
Mark tried again “It's actually our last stop. I`m practically on my own now. Might even stay here for a while."  
Damien remained silent.  
“You know, you could show me around.”   
It`s not like he was going to be kidnapped again, right? Might as well get to know this new "apathetic Damien" better.   
Damien froze, almost dropping a bottle.   
“What,” he stared at Mark in disbelief.   
“I mean, assuming you weren't hiding in your apartment( did he even had one?) the whole time and you know a few nice places.”  
Damien glared at Mark, eyes wide open. He looked like he was trying to solve some sort of puzzle.   
Mark held him a visit card.  
“Mark Bryant, photogra…” Damien read out loud “for real?”  
“Yeap. Call me.”  
Mark paid and left, grinning at Damien`s numb expression.


	2. Chapter 2

"That`s a really nice place."  
Damien took Mark to the pier. It was late afternoon, but the beach was empty. Everything was colored in warm autumn grey. Tides broke through rocks with a soft noise, seagulls screamed above. It was peaceful, serene.   
"Thought you'd like it."  
"Do you come here often?"  
"Sometimes." Damien shrugged.   
And so they went in silence. Mark occasionally stopped to take a picture, while Damien waited, even without complaints.   
"I'm sorry."  
"What?" Mark looked away from his camera at Damien.  
"Nothing. Forget it."  
"Sorry for what?"  
"I don`t know. Everything. Things didn`t go as I thought they would."  
"Yeah, they tend to do that. " Mark was smiling when Damien finally had the nerve to look at him.  
"I guess you were right about one thing. Time does help."  
After a pause, Mark added, " I  _ am _ glad to see you."  
They continued walking together. Maybe a little bit closer to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brevity is the soul of wit, okay? okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3, in which I`m bullshitting about how therapy works and giving Damien ice-cream

"Ice-cream, Damien? Really?"  
"Joke all you like, but this is gonna be the greatest thing you`ve ever tasted."  
It`s been over a week since Mark met Damien at the bar. They kept hanging out together occasionally, this time they went to a square, and, to Mark`s surprise, Damien led him to the ice-cream van. The sign on it said "vegan ice cream" and was followed by few drawings of fruits. Damien went to make an order, and now he returned with the two ice cream cones.   
"This is all a hallucination", said Mark, taking a bite. "Another proof - this _is_ the greatest thing I`ve ever tasted."  
"Told` ya."  
"Since when you`re vegan, anyway? "  
"I`m not. Lactose intolerant, though. "  
"Oh. I didn`t know."  
"Why would you?"  
Mark frowned.  
"Also wouldn`t take you as "I-like-sweets" type of guy."  
"That`s was my therapist's idea. They said that since I "didn`t have a proper childhood experience", I should do something stupid like that."  
"Don`t you dare to call ice cream stupid, and wait, you went to a therapist?"  
"Yeap. And they were much better than your sister, by the way."  
"U-huh, sure. Did they knew about your ability?"  
"About its absence, you mean. Yeah. They said it made sense, that I only can "affect people who don't have a strong will " now.  
"That's why you work at the bar? To practice on drunk people?"  
"Oh, don't sound so offended. I want my abilities back, don't you get it?"  
"I thought... I think you better off without it."  
"Well, you're wrong."  
Mark rolled his eyes.  
"But your abilities worked like that before, right? I mean, you had to make an effort to want something more if a person had a strong resistance. "  
"Yes, but now it's almost impossible to make an adult sober person do something."  
"An adult?"  
"I don't know what you think, but it's not what I meant. It`s... the less self-conscience person is, the better my powers work. Old people are pretty simple too."  
"It still sounds very, very wrong."  
"That is also what my therapist said."  
"What else?"  
"That I, apparently, don't understand the basic concepts of human relationships and emotions, therefore, can`t define what I feel."  
"That sounds about right. "  
"No, it doesn't. I spend my whole life getting what I want, how could I not understand what I feel?"  
"Still, you kinda failed to explain what you wanted from me."  
Damien opened his mouth to reply, but then his expression changed and he turned away from Mark.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Your girlfriend didn't tell you, did she?"  
"First, we broke up, second, no, she didn't. What is this about?"  
"She said... she said I was in love with you, back then."  
"... Oh. You.. you were?" Mark stared at Damien skeptically.  
"I don`t know. Can`t understand my emotions, remember?"  
Mark studied Damien`s face, not knowing how to react to that. "You never said anything."   
"I told you I cared about you. That you were only one who could understand."  
"It`s not the same if you cared only about my abilities! You don`t use a person if you care about them, okay? I... I had no idea. I mean, Sam was afraid that you'd force me to do something, uh, intimate, but I... I never understood what it is you needed from me exactly."  
"I didn`t need _that_ from you _."  
_ "Then what?"  
" I don`t know, okay? I just needed someone to understand, how is it... to feel this. And then you did, but I didn`t have my ability anymore, and you didn`t want to do anything with me, and nobody did, and..." Damien`s furrowed face changed to this exhausted expression again, he made a helpless gesture and fell silent.   
Mark didn`t know what to say, how to respond to it. He just realized how much Damien had changed. Or, rather, how much his abilities were actually his personality. How much he dependent on them, and how insecure and vulnerable he was without them.  
"Well, maybe this is your second chance."  
Damien didn`t reply.


	4. Chapter 4

They were at the pierce again, when a few first drops of upcoming rain fell from the sky.   
"I suppose it won`t just pass us, will it?" Mark was looking at the quickly darkening sky.  
"Suppose not. " Damien also stopped walking and watched the sun slowly disappear behind the heavy clouds. "You should probably call a taxi before it`s too late."  
"And what about you?"  
Damien shrugged "I live nearby."  
"Then you might politely invite me in?" Mark turned his head away from the sky and looked at Damien with a raised eyebrow.  
Damien frowned, and the moment Mark was going to take his words back, Damien`s face became blank once more and he simply said "Okay."

***

Twenty minutes after, Mark has changed into dry clothes Damien landed him and was standing in the living room, curiously looking around. It was a small and shabby place, but clean and light. Mark wanted to see the bookshelves closer, noticing a couple of familiar covers and names, but his eyes stopped at one thing that felt out of place.  
"What is it?" Mark asked, nodding at the side.  
"A violin."  
"I know what a violin is, why is it in your apartment?"  
"I play."  
"For real?" Mark`s voice was full of badly hidden amusement.   
"No."  
"Can you play something for me?"  
"Sure."  
Mark sat on a couch in excitement, but Damien continued to stand by the table, seemingly making a tea.  
Mark sighed. " _Will_ you play for me?  
"Nope." A mug cheerfully clanked.  
"Oh, c`mon, I wanna know how bad you are."  
"I`m amazing, actually."  
"Then why don`t you prove it?"  
Silence. Another clank.   
"Pretty please? You owe me that much." Mark tried again, not really hoping for anything, but, to his great surprise, Damien left the table and picked up the instrument.

Without looking at Mark, he headed to the other side of the room, turned his back to the window, facing Mark, and, without other prefaces, began to play.

At first Mark didn`t even notice the music. In fact, he couldn`t notice anything, but Damien: how, in the dark room, cold light from the window would bring up his silhouette; how perfectly well the violin fit in Damien`s arms; how deliberate was his every move, but his face, hidden in the shadows, framed in a few dark curls... it was so unreal, so distant and unreachable. Mark couldn`t take his eyes off Damien and thought to try didn`t even cross his mind. 

The music started slowly with a few long, low sounds, and, accompanied by raindrops outside, grew faster and more intense, and after a few more seconds Damien`s hand became a blur to Mark`s vision. The melody was powerful, smooth until it became gentle and reclusive, bringing desolation and, in the end, silence, violated only by the rain sounds outside. Soon they have gone quiet too. 

***

Mark was still in some sort of trance when the next morning he woke up in his apartment. Memories of the last night, of _Damien_ , made him shiver the whole day. 


End file.
